Water Tribe
by irohsteashoppegirls
Summary: Drabble collection about major historical events of the Water Tribe.
1. The Famine

The Famine

By: Iroh's Tea Shoppe Girls

Disclaimer: We wish we owned Avatar: The Last Airbender but we don't.

It had been the third season of unusual weather and bad fishing and hunting. The surplus was going to run empty very soon. Rationing had begun.

Children were no longer being told that they had to clean their plates, they were being told that there were not seconds. Young mothers with children in toe stood outside the palace to beg for more food, their children crying from empty stomaches.

There was great civil unrest, the chieftain hardly slept anymore. A fraction was forming that wanted the chieftain to step down, in favor of their leader, who, as far as anyone could tell, had no advantage in solving the hunger problems. There was another fraction which wanted to go find another place to live, a place with more food. The chieftain didn't like to have to admit it, but that option looked better and better with each day.


	2. The Split

The Split

By: Iroh's Tea Shoppe Girls

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is not ours. Iroh owns us.

With a heavy heart the chieftain signed the papers, ten ships would leave the next day. Twenty people per ship, two-hundred people total would leave to find greener pastures. If they found a more bountiful land, and if things didn't get better, more would follow. The old man sighed, wondering what his father or grandfather would do if they were alive, there was really nothing else they could've done.

The Chieftain always had to do what was best for his people, even if it was difficult. The Water Tribe knew its immediate neighbors, who were on hard times. He figured the best bet was the South Pole. It was uninhabited, and similar. Some of his people could find a new home there and lessen the number of mouths that needed to be fed.

Almost all of the refuges leaving were poor, mostly craftspeople and fishers. A few officials had gone along, to help the new colony set up their government and such. The Chieftain watched as the ships departed. It was hard, he lost three good men, and about two-hundred of his people. He hoped some good of it would come. He hoped they'd make it.


	3. A New Home

A New Home

By: Iroh's Tea Shoppe Girls

Disclaimer: We don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, if we did, Iroh would be the main character.

They were less than one-hundred-fifty in number when they arrived at the South Pole. Fifty were lost during the voyage, including all of the statesmen but one. No one had expected the journey to be easy.

The one surviving politician immediately, upon recognizing the opportunity, declared himself the Chieftain. After the first week, he wished there was anyone qualified enough to pass the job off to. The South Pole, while it was less crowded and did seem to have sufficient food, but, it seemed like an endless amount of work needed to be done. Housing had to be built, which was almost an overwhelming task in and of itself, communities buildings had to be built, a hospital, a prison.

The bureaucrat had dreamed of being a politician like the Chieftain, from his old vantage point the leader had only been mostly involved with cultural events. Culture and traditions weren't very important to a people whose biggest hope was to survive the winter.

But they did survive. The Southern Water Tribe made it. It would be nice to say that they flourished and prospered, but that would be a lie. There were growth periods, yes, but the population seemed to always remain fairly small. But that was alright, the people were always sure there would be enough food for them.


	4. The First Betrothal

The First Betrothal

By: Iroh's Tea Shoppe Girls

Disclaimer: The Water Tribe gets no love. We don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

"Why is the moon so big and white?" a little boy asked his grandmother.

The grandmother chuckled knowingly. Apparently the children's parents had neglected to tell him about the true nature of the moon. "That's not the moon spirit that you see in the sky, that's the moon spirit's stone."

"But, that is the moon," the child protested, looking confused.

"The moon is a spirit," the old woman explained. "It has an essence that can't be seen by human eyes. Do you know how gave the moon that rock?"

"No," the little boy admitted.

"Long ago, when the Great Spirits had first come to the world, there were two who were in love," the grandmother began. "The Ocean spirit and the Moon spirit. They were in love, and wanted to get married. To set an example for us, the Ocean gave the Moon a symbol of his commitment to her."

"Like the necklace Hanh gave Princess Yue?" the child asked.

"Yes," the grandmother replied. "That is why it is tradition for our young men to give carved stone jewelry to their fiancée."

"Okay," the little boy said, getting bored with all of the talk of romance. "Wait, if Spirits don't have bodies, why is the Ocean water?"

The old woman chuckled softly. She had much to teach her young grandson. "That's a story for another day."


End file.
